1,000 Words: In Memoriam

A poster created toward the end of the First World War by Charles Buckles Falls. According to the Boston Public library, which has an original print of the poster,

Book drives for soldiers were instituted soon after America’s entry into World War I. Government officials recognized the morale boost that books could provide to troops and asked the American Library Association for assistance in creating, stocking and staffing war service libraries. This striking poster was printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office to further that effort.

Books that met war library circulation needs were distributed directly to the camps, and unwanted materials were sold to second-hand book dealers or sold for scrap. Soldiers preferred novels, tales of adventure, and detective stories. Other popular subjects included travel, foreign languages, history, military subjects and biography. As the end of the war neared, however, requests from the military camps changed markedly. Soldiers requested books on engineering, the trades, business, farming, and other subjects that would help to establish new careers after their return home.

Have a happy Memorial Day weekend. The Book Bench will return on Tuesday.